Today I took my final exams–our program is over! We celebrated with a пироги feast with our teachers–a perfect way to celebrate the semester we spent together!
It’s all very surreal, and hard to belief that this journey is coming to a close. For the past year I’ve been so focused on achieving this goal of studying abroad in Russia, learning about the culture, and improving my language skills. The past 6 months of living under the Middlebury Language Pledge (first in the summer program, and then in Russia) have been particularly intense. It’s strange to think that it’s all over–it doesn’t seem possible that tomorrow is my last day in Yaroslavl.
Of course, while the program is over, I know the impact of my time in Russia will continue on. I probably won’t even realize all the ways it has influenced me until I step back and have some time to reflect and think. I’m guessing returning back home will be quite enlightening–it will be interesting to see if I experience any “reverse” culture shock.
I know I will miss aspects of life here, though right now it’s hard to say exactly what. I’m currently struck by the bittersweetness of it all–I don’t know if I’ll ever return here and it’s hard to imagine that all these sights I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months are soon going to be memories.
Yaroslavl is currently decked out in lights for Новый год (New Years)–it’s a magical sight, especially when it’s snowing!
Tomorrow, I’m going to try and soak it all in as much as possible. I’ve finished all exams/other academic responsibilities, so I have the day free to finish packing and then spend time saying good bye to friends–and to the city! Then late tomorrow night I’ll catch my ride to Moscow, where I fly out early Saturday morning–I’m going to try to stay awake as much as possible so I can sleep on the flight from Amsterdam to Seattle and adjust to the time-zone difference (of 11 hours!) But it’s going to be a long period of transit.
I’m curious at what point it will hit me that I’m leaving–or that I can speak English without guilt! I don’t think I’ll be able to switch my language settings on my phone and computer until I’m on the plane–it’d seem wrong to have them in English while I’m still in Russia! I’m guessing the next several days will be spent in a state of disbelief–as in, did that really happen, or did I imagine that I did all that?
As I’ve already said, I think I will be reflecting a lot on my experience here in the first few days/weeks that I’m home, so it’s possible (or even likely) that I’ll write another post or two on the blog. But while this is probably not my last post, but is IS the last time I can say I’m writing From Russia with Love–next time I’ll be back home in the states!
Thank you so much to all of you for taking the time to follow along with my adventures! I have a lot of people to thank for helping me along on this journey, and that includes everyone back home–you all have been so incredibly supportive, and I thank you for letting me share my stories with you! I hope I will get to share them in person with many of you soon.
I’m spending the evening getting some work done and preparing for my first final, which is tomorrow! My last 10 days in Yaroslavl are going to be jam-packed: in addition to my test tomorrow, I have four finals next week–yikes! But I’ll also be trying to find balance, and fit in as many enjoyable activities as I can in my last days here–meeting up with friends for the last time, going to all my favorite places in Yaroslavl, and trying to fit in some last “Russian” experiences (i.e., currently planning a visit to the баня (Russian spa)…I’ll let you guys you know how that one goes!)
Anyway, as a study break (read: procrastination), I wanted to write up a quick post about my weekend in Вологда (Vologda).
Last Saturday afternoon I left Yaroslavl for Vologda, a small(ish) town of 300,000, located about 3 hours north of Yaroslavl. One of my friends here is from Vologda, and she invited me to come stay with her, since she was going back for a family event.
It was such a great weekend, and a perfect last weekend trip to end the semester on. After we arrived, I spent Saturday evening getting the “local” experience. My friend Миля was busy all evening at her family gathering, so I spent my Saturday getting to know her friends. They were all so lovely and welcoming! We walked around town–it’s so pretty at night, especially along the river!–and then went to some of their favorite cafes.
One of my excellent “guides”
A bench celebrating the letter “o”–people from Vologda have a special dialect, and their “o” sounds are a bit more pronounced.
The photos don’t do it justice!
Trying to master the Russian soft smile with my new friends.
A statue of a dog peeing on a pole. Oh yes.
It was really interesting to get to learn about all of them, but more than anything it was really fun to get to have a “girls’ night”. And a cross-cultural one at that–we spoke a mix of English and Russian (they all wanted to practice their English), and helped each other out with new words/slang. I, for instance, taught them the word “vibes.” Sometimes people just click, and that’s how I felt with the people I met in Vologda–we were out until 5 am because we didn’t want the night to end (as most of you know that is WAY past my bedtime!)
Anyway, we had a late start to our Sunday. Миля’s mom made us homemade блины (Russian pancakes), and then we headed to Семенкова museum, just outside of town. It’s a complex modeled after Russian villages from 100+ years ago–it was so cool! We toured the different buildings, which were filled with traditional Russian art/products, as well as historical objects.
All in a days work…
An old box for caramels
Traditional Russian dolls
Weaving–the museum complex holds master classes, so people continue to make traditional products to this day!
Inside a traditional Russian home from 100+ years ago…here you can see what Russian stoves looked like, as well as the left (top left corner), where the whole family would sleep together (not too different from old American log cabins!)
Then we headed back into town, where I went to the Museum of Lacemaking. Vologda is known throughout Russia for being the best at two things: making lace, and making dairy products. The lace pieces are incredible–I can’t even imagine the amount of time that goes into making even a small decorative detail for a dress, let alone a whole tablecloth!
Lacemaking contraption
You can’t tell from this picture, but this table cloth stretches from floor to ceiling!
A lace image of Lenin’s mausoleum–because why not?
For the record, I also tried some dairy products: кефир (a Russian dairy drink, most similar to drinkable yogurt, but a bit more bitter?) and сырок (a little dessert bar, almost like a thicker version of cheesecake, and usually covered in chocolate?) (PS the descriptions I gave are kind of terrible. Please just try these items if you ever get the chance). I can confirm that Vologda has quality dairy.
Vologda dairy: the best of the best.
Kremlin walls and the cathedral–Tsar Ivan the III (The “Terrible”–though this translation is slightly misleading…that’s a different story…) originally wanted Vologda to serve as the capital of Kievan Rus’ (ancient Russia) but changed his mind because it was too far north.
Pretty soon after that, it was time to head back! The weekend went by too fast, but I’m so grateful that I got to fit in another trip, and that it went so well. I’ve traveled quite a bit by myself this semester, so it was a really special experience to get to meet up and hang out with people. I am totally in debt to Миля, her friends, and family for showing me such a great time! As I told all of them, now they have to come to the States so I can return the favor!
Thanks for a great weekend, Миля!
This trip also once again confirmed my love for small(er) towns. It seems no matter what country I go to, my favorite places are the quieter, less touristy locations. I feel like you can get a more genuine feel for the cultural, and what life is like when you’re not constantly surrounded by crowds or people taking selfies. And the local people tend to be a lot more welcoming too–they aren’t sick to death of tourists!
Seriously, if you ever get the chance to visit Russia, my number one piece of advice would to check out historical cities: i.e. make sure you get outside of Moscow and Petersburg! Of course they are worth a visit, but the fact is that they are huge, international destinations. In my opinion, the “real” Russia is found elsewhere! (Though I’m sure there are plenty of people who would beg to differ!)
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Bonus: Here’s a photo from today’s “excursion” for my Politics class.We went to meet with Игорь Алексеевич Ямщиков, one of the leaders of Yaroslavl’s branch of the Общероссийский народный фронт–or All-Russia People’s Front, a social organization that works to bring awareness to, and find solutions, to various problems, ranging from ecological to cultural to ethical.
Игорь Алексеевич was so incredibly open and it was a great to hear his perspective. He’s involved in many different projects, and clearly cares a lot about Russia, and helping his fellow citizens!
He served in Afghanistan, and wore his uniform to meet with us–a sign of respect for us visitors!
This was our 7th (and last) excursion for my politics class. Our professor has taken us all over town–we’ve met with representatives and leaders from the local government, the regional senate, various political parties (including the communist party), the regional union organization (“профсоюз”), youth centers, and more. This has definitely been a benefit to being in Yaroslavl–it’s the capital of the область (what regional governments are called here–the Russian equivalent of “states” in the U.S.), so there’s a lot going on politically. But people are really welcoming and kind–they are so open to answering questions, and I’ve been grateful that all of these very busy people have given up some of their time to talk with us! I’m also really grateful to my professor for organizing all these little trips for us–it’s given us some really interesting experiences!
And one more Russian tradition before I sign off tonight. Since it’s finals season, I thought I’d share a pre-test tradition in Russia. I first learned about this last September, before taking my very first Russian test at Wellesley–now I can’t take a test without thinking of it!
Person A: “ни пуха, ни пера” [phonetically: nee poohah, nee peyrah(?)] (“Neither down nor feather”)
Person B: “к черту!” [quh chyort-ty](“To the devil” /[To hell!]”)
This phrase was originally said to hunters before they left on trips. It’s the Russian equivalent of telling an actor to “break a leg”–in saying that they hoped hunters would find neither down nor feathers, the belief was that the exact opposite would happen. The “to hell” part was included because of the believe that evil spirits were always present, and needed to be told off (to go back to hell).
But most people don’t think about this background when using this phrase today–as I said, it’s the same as “break a leg.” And of course, you can always just wish someone “Удачи!” (“luck”) if you want something simpler!
And on that note, удачи всем with whatever you’re currently dealing with–finals or otherwise!
From Russia with Love 